Board empowers finance member to work with auditors after recurring audit adjustments

The Canterbury Board of Finance voted to empower a board member to work directly with auditors and town staff to correct recurring audit adjustments that auditors described as a material weakness in year‑end reconciliations.

Joy, who the board identified as a finance-savvy member, agreed to coordinate with the auditors and the town treasurer, review the auditors' proposed adjustments and ensure the adjustments get posted in QuickBooks so the town's beginning and ending balances reconcile year over year. The board made the motion, a second was recorded, and members voted in favor.

Board members described the condition as a running issue for multiple audit cycles: auditors produced a list of proposed adjustments at audit close, but those differences have not consistently been entered into the town's accounting system, which causes discrepancies to compound each year. Joy told the board she would request the auditors' ending trial balance with account-level audit differences and work with Lori and outside consultants to book the reconciling entries into the proper fiscal period.

The board characterized the problem as fixable with the right processes and reconciliations. They directed Joy to work with the auditors and with Mike Vander (consultant referenced in the meeting) to implement the adjustments and to report back to the board with progress. The board said they will revisit the issue on a future agenda once adjustments are completed.

The motion gives the board an internal point person to coordinate corrective bookkeeping steps ahead of the next audit cycle.